


Are all Librarians this much trouble?

by meet_the_girl_who_can



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Colleagues - Freeform, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Librarian! Booker, Mild Language, Mutual Pining, Professor! Joe, Soft Booker | Sebastien le Livre, Teacher! Nile, there's no power imbalance they're all colleagues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:56:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26884750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meet_the_girl_who_can/pseuds/meet_the_girl_who_can
Summary: Nile is so close to finishing this article for submission, she can practically taste it.Except the stupidly hot librarian is about to make her eat her words because he won't give her the books she needsBased on the prompt:  I work in the library and I’m a little concerned for your health because you never stop studying
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Nile Freeman
Comments: 33
Kudos: 258





	Are all Librarians this much trouble?

**Author's Note:**

> So in this fic, Booker is a librarian at a university campus and Nile, Joe and Booker are colleagues (in different departments) and there's no power imbalance. Nile is 27 and Booker is 35. 
> 
> Nile having a looming deadline is purely because I had one myself recently and the STRESS
> 
> Also, Matthias Schoenaerts voice needs more appreciation, yes?

“Just these please” Nile smiled tiredly as she slid the heavy books across the shiny white counter.

“No” Booker, the librarian (nobody knows if that’s actually his name or just a nickname because, well he’s a librarian) doesn’t even glance away from his computer screen. Just pulls the pen he’s been nibbling on out of his mouth, says ‘no’, and puts the pen back.

“I’m sorry?” Nile blinked. She’s a little incoherent at the minute, running on coffee and very little sleep so it’s possible she’s misheard.

Booker turns his head, bright blue eyes regarding her thoughtfully with a wry smile. He pulls the pen away and licks that plush lower lip. He’s too horribly attractive and wide awake for the unforgiving florescent lights and 11 pm of the university library.

“Apology accepted” he chuckles and pulls the books away from her. But rather than picking up her campus ID card to scan, Booker just slips the whole stack, the card included, under the counter.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

“Go home,” Booker instructs her firmly, “You can have the books tomorrow and not before”

Nile gapes at him, the flutter in her sternum she always gets at the pleasant rasp of his voice promptly squashed by shocked outrage. “I- “Nile closes her eyes, and rolls her jaw for a moment. She does not have time for whatever game the sexy librarian is playing to pass the time on the graveyard shift.

“Please give me the books, Booker” she’s never heard anyone call him any kind of honorific when they use that name and she’s certainly not about to start now, especially if he’s pulling this shit.

“No”

“You – “she casts about, but there’s literally nobody else around the desk, everyone else whose here is sequestered safely in the stacks or at a desk and not having their learning inhibited by unhelpful staff.

“ _You can’t do that!”_ Nile hissed, jabbing the countertop, and then she realises she doesn’t even know why he’s refusing to give her the books.

“Hang on a second, why are you doing that? Is there like a restriction on how many books you can check out – cos I thought we were allowed as many as we wanted?” The library could have changed their policy, she supposed. She skips those emails.

Booker waits till she’s finished and offers her a gentle smile. “No, Nile, there’s no limit to books, if you can carry them and bring them back, you’re good”

Oh. She didn’t actually realise he knew her name. The butterflies take off with a vengeance at the way his voice wraps over the syllables. But that still doesn’t answer her question.

“So – why am I not allowed those books until tomorrow? I have an article that’s due by Monday and Joe’s going to kick my ass if I don’t- “

“Joe?” Booker’s brow furrows at the name. He looks…angry, almost?

Ah, “Oh, erm, Professor Al-Kaysani” she clarifies. That was the thing with the university, being on a first-name basis with your lecturers. Even as an early career researcher, Nile still finds it sort of weird, but Joe’s her friend first these days, rather than her colleague or lecturer.

Booker immediately relaxes, face smoothing out and he laughs. Another thing to add to the list of things Nile does not know what to do with about the Sexy Librarian. He has a sexy laugh. Of course, he does. Everything about him is sexy; his voice, that rare smile, his _arms._ The guy’s built like a tank. There’s a reason the Business and Law students come to the city campus library, even when they’ve got their own library specifically for them in their own faculty buildings.

“Joe’s not going to kill you”

“Yes, he is! He was way too nice offering to co-author with me anyway, it’s a stupidly prestigious journal and if it gets accepted we could go to the conference in Paris and I need those books!”

Booker shakes his head. “The only thing that upsets Joe is an upset Nicky. The man’s a big softie”

Nile smiles at that. He is, too.

Wait.

“You know Joe and Nicky?”

“Yeah,” he nods sagely, “I was best man at their wedding.” Nile’s eyebrows jump into her hairline, but Booker just carries on jovially “Which means I can be an interfering shit and tell Joe’s hardworking star student to go _home_. We’re closed” He smirks at her.

“I’m not his student anymore. I’m his colleague and – and anyway, this is a twenty-four-hour library! “Nile shoots back, unimpressed. She _is_ tired but as John Mulaney would say: “Hey!”

“And you have been here for twenty-three of them. Go home. Sleep. I will give the books to Joe tomorrow and he can pass them on. Change of scene is as good as a rest, and you need both.”

Nile glared at him. Booker leaned back and folded his arms. Part of Nile; the angry, tired, worried part wanted to argue that he had no right deciding what she could and couldn’t do. But the other part that just wanted to stop trying to think critically and exhaustively and actually feel fully human again could see that he was right. Even if she did get the books tonight, they were just going to sit in her bag until she could look at them without wanting to claw her eyes out. And he was going to reserve them for her. Even drop them off at her department’s building so she wouldn’t have to detour and come all the way back to this godforsaken building until after the fucking article was finished and submitted. And it was nice of him really. Kind, that he’d noticed how hard she was working and how tired she was (God she probably looked a _mess_ ) and was doing what he could to help. Even if all that help amounted to was outright refusing to give her access to her learning materials until she’d gone and had a break.

But she couldn’t let him know that.

“Are all librarians this much trouble?”

He snorted, eyes glittering and her grin widens as he gets the reference. “Only the best”

“Well, you’re really good at your job” she sighed, groaning and scrubbing a hand over her face. She checked her phone. When she looked back up Booker was sitting up straight, eyes wide. “Okay, fine, you win. Tell Celeste she’s a tattle-tale for me, would you? Night, Booker”

“Goodnight Nile” he murmured after a moment.

It takes Nile until she’s actually lying flat out on her bed, trying to work up to actually getting changed and not just sleeping in her clothes to realise she may have accidentally flirted with the hot librarian.

_Fuck._

***

When Nile manages to make her way to the office she shares with Joe the next morning, she’s had enough sleep and emails to go through, that she’d forgotten all about Booker’s promise to bring the books over to the Art building until she saw him sitting at the little round table they have for chats. Well, she doesn’t even realise it's Booker at first, because it could be any blond man, really. Except she can’t think of any with shoulders like that. She hesitates outside the door, not wanting to just waltz in if Joe’s in an early meeting, but thankfully Joe spots her and waves her into the room enthusiastically.

“Good morning Nile! Everything alright? Thanks for getting these books in, I think Roberts’ especially is going to prove really interesting counterpoints” he greets chattily, holding out his hands for her coat and bag and turning away to hang them up for her. “This lump actually stirred from its cave to bring them over for you, so you must have made an impression!”

Yeah, that she was a grouchy workaholic.

“Now, will you be as wonderfully kind as to tell our mutual friend here to drag his sorry ass to bed please?” he flicks a finger contemptuously at Booker, but he’s grinning. Nile takes a deep breath before turning to face Booker where he’s lounging in the chair, kicked away from the table to let his long legs splayed out. It was very welcoming…like she could just slot herself onto his lap and curl her hands around her neck. _No! No. Bad libido. Down boy._

She casts a wary eye over Booker. He’s still in the clothes from last night; boots and dark pants with that acid-washed denim shirt straining over his shoulders. He looks a little rumpled, but it still manages to look like Walk of The Night Before, rather than shame because well, _god._ Rather than like he’s just come off nightshift.

“I cannot believe that out of all us, people think you’re the charmer” Booker grumbles at him pleasantly in that low voice. Like whiskey on the rocks. He lets Joe swat his arm. “You really work with Mr. Sunshine and Roses here every day? _Bonjour_ , Nile, by the way.”

“For years, yeah. Hello,” she chuckles back at the delayed greeting. Something clicks in her brain. “You’re French?”

“Guilty as charged”

“Haven’t heard you say that in a while” Joe says, taking the seat beside Booker and winking when Booker glares at him.

“I will – Nicky! – “Booker threatens incoherently

“Boys! Boys! God, no wonder Andy’s always talking about having her hands full. You” she jabbed a finger at Joe, “stop picking on the mean librarian. You promised me that expensive hot chocolate today as a treat and I am hot chocolate-less. And you,” she turns to Booker, jabbing another finger, “stop picking on the nice lecturer and his cute husband. Go to bed” she instructs, with no small amount of relish. Oh, how the tables have turned. Joe chortles, practically preening at her descriptions. 

Those inscrutable blue eyes met Nile’s own, the shadow of a smile curving into the corner of his mouth at the joke. “If I were less of a gentleman I’m sure I’d be saying something about stones and glass houses right about now, Cherie”

Nile _did not_ flush at the endearment tacked on the end. Joe and Nicky did that. Andy and Quynh did that. It was just what this lot _did._ Anyway, she’s just come up with a pretty witty rejoinder

“Welcome to Academia”

“Very pretty” Booker smiles, that subtle press of the lips, dipping his head in acknowledgment so that blond hair flops into his eyes.

“I know you are but what am I?” _Fuck._ She knows immediately that her shock at her automatic response mirrors Booker’s face. Because yes, he’s gorgeous but the whole campus already knows that. This is what growing up with siblings does to you. She’s going to kill her little brother when she goes home next. On principle.

“Stun – “he coughs, and sits up straight, planting his knees on the floor, shock being replaced by a cocky gleam, determined not to lose the game “sleep-deprived”

Nile squared her shoulders “Takes one to know one”

Booker’s mouth fell open in surprise, though he didn’t look offended, more like he was enjoying the whole exchange. Joe, who had been silent throughout was texting furiously when they stopped to look at him. Feeling their eyes on him, Joe just grinned. “Oh, don’t let me stop you”

Booker looked like he was about to say something, but instead, all that happened was a yawn came out instead, causing him to shiver. He covers his mouth and smiles at her tiredly, standing up. Then he pulls a hand away from his face and smiles at her, sleepy and young and _so not going down that road, nope Nile, not this early_

“I’ll leave you to two to actually get some work done,” he says pointedly, prodding Joe in the shoulder as he passes him, though his warm eyes don’t leave Nile’s.

“Oh!” Nile spins on her heel and realised that she hadn’t even thanked him for bringing the books over, straight after his shift and everything. “Thank you! For this and last night, I really needed that!”

Joe chokes behind her and Nile’s cheeks burn as she realises how that sounds, “I mean! The sending me home, the- “she waves her hands, “obstructing my ability to do my job and forcing me to go home.”

Ah yes, that’s much better.

“Yes, that. Thank you – for the books'” Stupid, thoughtful Frenchman.

“Anything for you, Cherie” Booker murmurs throatily, from where he’s turned back in the doorway, hand on the doorknob. And is it the ugly university lighting or is he a little pink under that scruff? “I should – leave,” he says pointing down the corridor.

“ _Au revoir_ , Nile”

He bows his head in farewell and smiles that wry smile, like a Regency gentleman or something.

“What about me _mon frère_?” Joe’s voice comes over Nile’s shoulder, and when they turn to look he’s clutching at his heart dramatically.

“I’m seeing you for dinner tonight and we’ll see how fraternal you’re feeling when I tell Nicky about you picking on poor Nile here” Booker shoots back, catching her eye again conspiratorially.

“I would never! Nile you have to come to dinner and plead my case!”

“Oh, erm – I couldn’t intrude and – “

“You’re right, you couldn’t. Please, tesoro? Nicky and I would love to have you! I’m sure Sebastien would love to have you too? Isn’t that right, _mon frère_?”

Booker looks like he’s seconds away from strangling Joe. "Sebastien?" Nile asks, "Not Booker?"

Now Joe looks like he's about to strangle Sebastien.

"Ah, yes" Booker scrubs a hand over the back of his neck looking sweetly abashed, which only brings his bicep to her full attention. "Sebastien Le Livre. My friends call me Booker. And what with being a Librarian, well-"

"Oh!" Nile smiles, "That's cute" He’s definitely blushing now. Hmmm. _Interesting._ Nile’s libido perks right back up again.

“It would be lovely for you to join us, Nile. Also ignore, Yusuf over there, _I’m_ the one that needs someone to commiserate with over those two being sickeningly adorable” he sighs, as if it’s the greatest tragedy but the way his eyes glitter show he doesn’t really mind.

Nile laughs, glad to have someone else who acknowledges how utterly in love Joe and Nicky are. It _is_ incredibly adorable if a little much. It’ll be nice, to have someone to roll her eyes at across the table. Joe’s preening again.

Nile sighs heavily, playing it up, mostly to cover up for the butterflies. “No man left behind!”

Booker heaves a sigh of relief in turn, “I always knew you were a queen among women” he declares, before stepping back into the corridor and he’s probably just being emphatic, the reverence in his tone completely for effect, and then Booker winks and saunters off down the corridor.

And oh.

 _Oh, I’m in trouble._ Nile smiles to herself at the thought, desire curling warm in her belly

“Librarians, eh? What’re you gonna do?” Joe asks knowingly, handsome face gleeful, looking absurdly pleased with himself.

“Oh,” Nile shrugged as she closed the door behind them and went to her desk, “I’ve got a few ideas”

**Author's Note:**

> I need a Mummy AU
> 
> I'm also on tumblr @ meet-the-girl-who-can if you want to come say hi and scream about The Old Guard with me


End file.
